Brazil crisis won’t impact Olympics: IOC

Rio de Janeiro, April 19 (IANS) The impeachment process against Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff will not interfere with preparations for this year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Monday.

With 109 days left until the opening ceremony at the Maracana stadium, the IOC said the Games provided an “important opportunity to unite the Brazilian population, irrespective of their political vision”, Xinhua reported.

“[Preparations] have now entered into a very operational phase where these kinds of political issues have much less influence than at other stages of organising the Olympic Games,” the IOC said in an official statement.

Brazil’s lower house on Sunday voted in favour of removing President Dilma Rousseff from power, sending the motion against her to a senate vote.

Rousseff is accused of manipulating government accounts ahead of her 2014 re-election.

Among the federal government’s Olympic Games responsibilities is to coordinate a massive security operation, both at event venues and other strategic locations.

The first Olympic Games in South America will be held from August 5 to 21.